"To him, it's just a piece of property," said society member Marcia Allen.

She says the society helped save the barn once before, back in the early 1990s. The society was able to get an easement on the property, which basically means they took over basic care of the barn. But that ended in 2010.

She doesn't want to see the barn torn down now.

"It makes me sad," said Allen.

She says the society has offered to help make repairs, but Stout has turned them down. "He said 'we'll just hold off on that for a while."

The group hasn't given up hope on the barn, she says at this point, they're holding their breath.

"It's one of the finest because it's the only one, and when it's gone, it's gone."

Stout says he's working to get a permit from the city to tear the barn down, but it's a long process.

KVAL News contacted the Cottage Grove city planners office to get their side of the story, but they were not available for comment on Tuesday.